Save Me
by MAX024
Summary: This story takes place during season 9. Robert's life is jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. He thinks nobody cares. But he's wrong. Cordano story. Slightly AU.


**Save me**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own ER nor any of the characters. If I did, Robert Patrick Romano would be alive and happy.

_**Author's note:** This story takes place during season 9. Robert's life is jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. He thinks nobody cares. But he's wrong. Cordano story. Slightly AU._

_Rated **T** for now..._

**Chapter 1**

Romano was walking briskly towards the main entrance of Cook County General Hospital, but his pace had nothing to do with any anxiety he felt about going to work in the ER. No, he was just in a hurry to take shelter from the freezing wind of Chicago. With only one good arm and the other one in a sling, he couldn't drive anymore. He was forced to take the EL and to get his legs working.

The snow was sure to fall some time in the course of the day. _I think the winter months are coming back_, he thought to himself. But he didn't mind. Nothing much really mattered to him now. He didn't know if he'd ever be able to use his left arm again. His sensitivity was diminishing from day to day and he couldn't work in the OR anymore. Well, not for now…

He'd almost got himself in a fine mess thanks to one of his latest achievements. For God's sake, what was the matter with him? Cutting a pig! It was obviously becoming second nature with him to perform surgeries on quadrupeds. First, it was Gretel and then an illustrious pig. What was he going to cut next? A cow perhaps? _No, it might be slightly bulky,_ he thought.

And then, there was this day in the OR when he was supervising Jensen…

But he lost his train of thought when he found himself at the main entrance.

As every day, he walked into the ER, doing the best he could to hide any feeling. He was ready to make everybodies life a living hell, particularly the people who worked for him, or the ones who had the misfortune to cross his path.

The first person he saw was Jerry. He was stuffing himself with doughnuts and was answering the phone, his mouth full, and his hands so greasy that Robert wouldn't take the receiver from him.

Robert put on a mocking face and greeted Jerry with a sarcastic remark; some things never change.

"Jerry! So, you're still on a crash diet I see! Excellent, just keep this up and you'll be a perfect candidate for the latest cardiovascular technique."

Jerry ignored the remark and rolled his eyes. He carried on talking with the person at the other end of the line.

_It must be a matter of the utmost urgency, probably a hysterical chick who wants to book the OR because she cut herself with a sheet of paper_, thought Robert.

Robert walked towards the admit desk and took a patient's file, pretending to read it.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a well-known voice. He lifted his brown chocolate eyes and noticed a familiar face. The one face he'd missed seeing in recovery… Elizabeth. He stopped what he was doing and watched her as she talked to a patient with Kovac.

He'd always been mesmerized by this woman. She was intelligent, competent, the best student he'd ever known. She was a great surgeon. He would put his life into Elizabeth's hands without a moment's hesitation. She truly was his equal.

_A match made in heaven_…

She'd brought him great delights during their years working together, despite their frequent quarrels. _I must admit our arguments added a bit of spice to our relationship_, he thought, smiling slightly. But she'd also caused him great pain. First of all, it had hurt like hell when she'd dated Benton after refusing to go out with him, supposedly because she didn't want to mix professional and personal lives. Then she'd married Mark. It should have been him, not that wimp. He hadn't had enough backbone to deal with this particular woman. _She_ needed someone with a strong personality, someone who would surprise her and love her a little more with every passing day. She deserved a man with a more passionate nature, not the boring, passive man that had been Mark Greene.

A memory came back to him while he was thinking about Elizabeth and he felt a knot in the pit of his stomach. That day in the lounge when she'd caught him feeling vulnerable. He would never forget the shocked expression on her beautiful face when he'd reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand. He felt guilty even now for making her so uncomfortable. He'd allowed himself to express his feelings in a silly gesture and she had run away. He'd wanted to tell her he was sorry, but she had fled so quickly.

After that _incident_ he had resolved to never act so rashly again. Even if it caused him pain, he would never again make such a mistake. He didn't want to lose her for good; he needed her in his life, even if it meant that he had to keep his distance.

Lost in his thoughts, he hadn't realized he'd stopped staring and was now headed for his new office. Well, his so-called office – because it was no more than a storeroom with a heap of cardboard boxes and a desk thrown in for good measure. He still hadn't unpacked his things. _That _would make his situation all too permanent.

He closed the door and sat behind his desk, playing with a pen, while he gazed into space.

He could hear all the surrounding noises filtering under the door; a moaning patient, a crying baby, doctors and nurses bustling about, the sound of a defibrillator, the steady bleeps of machines and ringing of phones…

It was his third day in the ER and they already hated him, wanted him out. He'd spent his time lashing out at the doctors or nurses in an attempt to off-load his anger and frustration. He never missed an opportunity. His favourite target was that big-mouthed Pratt, and of course Kerry, so dear to his heart… That fucking bitch unscrupulously stole his job. He was now waiting for the slightest mistake from her, so could knock her from her pedestal and win back his job as Chief of Staff.

He'd always been a strong person and had always succeeded in all his undertakings. He was the best, the stuff winners are made of. He'd never been a loser, and now…

Now, he was going to hell in a hand basket since he'd met with that wretched chopper. He felt like a wreck trying to put to sea. Can you imagine a boat with a gaping hole in its hull floating on the sea?

He was interrupted from his thoughts by a soft knock on the door.

"Come in! Hurry up, I don't have all day!" he snapped.

Someone carefully opened the door and he heard the sound of high heels on the floor tiles, followed by a heavy silence. Nobody in the room said a word. He didn't have to look up to acknowledge the mysterious visitor. He knew who it was.

"Robert?" she spoke at last.

And there was that voice, proving his instincts right…..Elizabeth's voice.

TBC…


End file.
